USCE Autumn: Well Actually, This IS somethingpedantic.com

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USCE Autumn: Well Actually, This IS somethingpedantic.com

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Online advertising companies are apparently the greatest marketers (of themselves) and the worst marketers (of their client's products) in the history of industry.

After the reveal that Uber was paying several billion dollars to online advertisers and only realized that they never saw any return when they accidentally shut down all online advertising, it looks like there is a similar thing going for podcasts.

Online advertisers have worked with podcasters to set-up "auto-downloading" episode programs in various mobile apps that count as unique users. Podcasts then use that very high figure to partner with online advertisers and reach out to companies to charge them for ads that will reach "millions of listeners," even if nobody is actually listening.

https://twitter.com/ashleyrcarman/status/1574776483171946497

This is basically in the same vein as all of Facebook's ad engagement numbers being basically totally made up isn't it?

# ¿ Sep 27, 2022 18:30

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 01:30

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Has anyone suggested to Elon that he charge a one time fee for registration, and then charge users for options like changing their profile picture and the ability to message other users? Seems like a business model with some track record of success

# ¿ Nov 2, 2022 00:56

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

evilweasel posted:

theoretically, the banks are fine for this being a stupid idea for certain magnitudes of stupid. they lent $13 billion on a senior secured basis - i.e., their collateral is the entire company. so, as long as the company is worth $13 billion plus an equity cusion - say, another $7 billion to round it out to a neat $20 billion, the loans were (theoretically) fine for them even if elon was a complete moron

this buyout was a leveraged buy-out in theory - it was funded in part by debt put on the company - but it wasn't really much of one. take Toys R' Us, which was basically run into the ground by a leveraged buyout. there, the new owners put up 20% of the price, and borrowed 80% secured by the company. that's highly leveraged - there's only a 20% "equity cushion" - and, of course, the private equity funds relentlessly pillaged the company to get that 20% back.

here, musk put up 70% in cash and only borrowed 30%. that should be an incredibly safe debt level, even if musk overpaid. but it's not: the company probably can't even make those interest payments (which also means, musk can't even afford to loot it - theoretically making it safer). the company already looks highly stressed and less than a week into owning twitter musk is being incredibly Not Mad and definitely Not Desperate For Money on twitter.

the banks should have been incredibly safe, but it looks seriously likely their debt is already impaired - not just the change in interest rates making the existing interest rate less attractive, but the market seems dubious it's getting paid back. that means that basically the entire equity investment appears to have been lit on fire.

If Barbarians At The Gate was the tragedy, this (or the book that's inevitably written about this whole saga) is the farce

# ¿ Nov 3, 2022 02:41

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

I recall reading at least one article that said that Silicon Valley tech CEOs think the entire sector is way over staffed and that most companies should be cutting their headcount by 50% or more in their opinions. I suppose that's good for housing prices in the Bay and Austin but there's probably a lot of consternation coming for people took the whole "learn to code" thing to heart

# ¿ Nov 3, 2022 18:18

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Prism posted:

Feels very appropriate that his Twitter icon is a baby.

It should be a corncob.

# ¿ Nov 4, 2022 17:03

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

ReidRansom posted:

A 747 and a 757 are VERY different aircraft. He has the latter.

Is trump's 757 even operational? Last I heard it was down an engine and mouldering away at some airfield in new jersey

# ¿ Nov 9, 2022 03:23

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Rigel posted:

I think they are fully anticipating that Trump is going to be indicted and tried for extremely serious crimes with a high probability that he could actually be convicted on something. They are probably butthurt about that and really want to do whatever they can to paint Biden as somehow being immoral or corrupt to at the very least "both-sides" it and neutralize Trump crimes as an issue in 2024. If they can't do that, although this board tends to be pessimistic and cynical about this, it really will be a huge problem that will drown out any message the GOP tries to run on.

This is 100% what it is. The "Biden Crime Family" is aping the "Trump Crime Family" rhetoric that's been prevalent since 2017 among liberals.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2022 18:19

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

I know this is D&D and I will eat the probe if necessary but ahahahahahaha

https://twitter.com/ditzkoff/status/1593396857111302145?t=InEX7EU38_lR3pGOM85tUg&s=19

# ¿ Nov 18, 2022 01:17

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Eason the Fifth posted:

"I understand what it is to die, I think," Pearson said abruptly. "Now I do, anyway. Not death itself, I still can't comprehend that. But dying. If I stop walking, I'll come to an end. "

Except there's no billion dollar prize even theoretically waiting for the last one standing, it's just poo poo all the way down

# ¿ Nov 18, 2022 02:18

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Rigel posted:

I really don't understand what Biden is doing at all. I could sort of understand if we had an election in 2 months or something, but he's not facing the voters for another 2 years so its not like he even has any political pressure right now. A temporary transportation disruption this winter is not going to send us off into a multi-year recession tailspin. There's no reason at all to do this, unless you don't think labor unions should ever strike if it inconveniences the public.

That last bit is really the crux of it except it's not really the public, it's Capital. Democrats might be willing to tinker around the edges of the system as technocrats are wont to do but they absolutely will not make a decision that explicitly places the needs of workers over owners.

Like the seriously, the whole "I have pressed for legislation to give all workers guaranteed time off" bit is literally the labor version "All Lives Matter". How can any union member trust what Democrats say after this?

# ¿ Nov 29, 2022 14:47

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Same.

I just wanted to clarify that it is a higher stakes thing than "4 sick days" and that is why the union and railroad companies are still fighting over it even when they agreed to the other major changes on how the engineering teams work, got extra PTO, got more money, etc. with much less controversy. Those were small potatoes comparatively.

The train companies are thinking about a "worst case scenario" where engineers are calling out day-of 4 times per year every year. There's only one track, so one delay hits everything using the tracks.

The unions are thinking about how this attendance system didn't exist until two years ago and it can be reversed if they strike while they have leverage. And they don't want to put members in situations where their jobs are potentially at risk if their parents die or they get really sick before a shift. Especially since this system was implemented during Covid to keep trains running on time and they are less strict about it now, but the companies want to keep it forever. Four sick days is kind of underselling the significance and why they are fighting so hard for it.

They aren't sick days if you have to schedule them in advance so it really kind of is about 4 sick days.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2022 20:18

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

achillesforever6 posted:

https://twitter.com/JonahFurman/status/1597735612773126145?t=EMI5CRtzDxflK3K0ocbGMw&s=19
Union bosses suck so much poo poo

I really wish someone would ask Liz Shuler how many sick days a year she gets

# ¿ Nov 30, 2022 14:24

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

https://twitter.com/JonahFurman/status/1598025610227781632?t=Ybtx1dBYaneFxTHezixrMQ&s=19

It really doesn't seem like Biden wants the railroad workers to get their 7 days of sick leave, the WH press release makes zero mention of the house bill to add this to the agreement.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2022 22:45

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1598052547360854017?t=1yHKKR5CvsOw2Ljt7ghehA&s=19

It *really* doesn't seem like Biden wants railroad workers to get sick leave at this point

# ¿ Nov 30, 2022 22:55

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Thinking she can Joe Lieberman herself to the presidency is some real galaxy brain thinking, I've gotta say.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2022 17:07

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 01:30

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

According to her former staff in the interviews she did last year, the logic is: People said that being a crazy green party member who wore a tutu to her events wouldn't be good for getting elected to the state government, then people told her that going from green party tutu-wearer to blue dog Dem to run for the House in a reddish district wouldn't look good, then people told her that running for Senate in Arizona as a bisexual fiscal conservative/social liberal without much experience wasn't a good idea.

But, she won all of those races. So, following her gut over what other people think has worked so far. Also, people said Lieberman and McCain were committing career suicide by making public stances against their parties, but they both were re-elected. People are desperate for someone who annoys both sides, works to get stuff done, and is independent.

Neither McCann nor Lieberman were first term Senators though, and their public stances against their party arguably prevented them from being president/vice president respectively

# ¿ Dec 9, 2022 17:42

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USCE Autumn: Well Actually, This IS somethingpedantic.com